I loved the show The Office. In the final episode, one of the characters—Andy—talked about working for the show’s small paper company. He said, “I spent so much of my time at Dunder Mifflin thinking of my old pals, my college group. The weird thing is now I’m exactly where I want to be. I have my dream job at Cornell and I’m still just thinking about my old pals, only now they’re the ones I made here. I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” For me, those are powerful words and they make me think of my family time.
Our children will only be young once. Then they will grow up and move out, and when that happens, it will never be the same. These are the good old days, so don’t miss them. Here are 3 ways to make the most of your family time.
Our children will only be young once. These are the good old days, so don’t miss them.1. Make people a priority.
This time period should be called the distraction age because our lives are filled with them. We are constantly connected to everything, which means we are constantly distracted by everything. When we make people a priority, we can focus on the people and not the distractions around us. So turn off your phone or whatever else pulls you away from the people you are with.
2. Respect time.
One way I cheat myself out of family time is by doing work when I’m supposed to be spending time with my family. This usually happens when I schedule too much stuff, or sometimes I’m just not as efficient as I should be while working (work has distractions too). One way to do this is by blocking out time. Give yourself timelines and deadlines. When that time is up, respect it, and move on to your next time block.
3. Be present in the moment.
I heard a quote that says, “The most important thing in your life at any given moment is the people with you at that moment.” Many times we aren’t living in that moment with that person or persons in front of us. I encourage you to be right there; be present in each moment you have with your family.
Sound off: What are some other ways to make the most of family time?
Huddle up with your kids and ask, “What do you like to do most as a family?”